


Ten Thousand Miles

by Ceares



Category: Entourage, Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: M/M, xover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-25
Updated: 2008-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-03 20:26:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/702309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceares/pseuds/Ceares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I can't thank Linsey enough for the beta and encouragement, and Nik and Felicia as always for saying okay, when I say 'read this'.</p>
<p>For <b>Cf33</b>, who wanted-Eric/Vince<br/>
Some Ari, bad-ass Eric, I would love crossovers or AUs, and a very, very caring Vince, because Vince loves Eric :) It's canon *points* And, if you think you're up for it, mindfuck :)</p>
    </blockquote>





	Ten Thousand Miles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cf33](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Cf33).



> I can't thank Linsey enough for the beta and encouragement, and Nik and Felicia as always for saying okay, when I say 'read this'.
> 
> For **Cf33** , who wanted-Eric/Vince  
>  Some Ari, bad-ass Eric, I would love crossovers or AUs, and a very, very caring Vince, because Vince loves Eric :) It's canon *points* And, if you think you're up for it, mindfuck :)

Vince wasn't sure when he realized exactly what he was going to do. It wasn't when he saw the framed panel in Brett's office and somehow their conversation turned to the comic and failed movie instead of the new project Brett was working on. It wasn't when he finagled the script out of Brett. By the time he handed it to Ari though, he at least had an idea--a plan, or the beginnings of one.

#####

He waited until Ari and E were deep into one of their regular, 'I know best and you can fuck off' pissing contests.

"I found a script."

They both stopped talking and turned to look at him incredulously.

"You found a script."

“You read a script."

Vince pouted. "Hey! I read my scripts."

"Yeah, after E tells you to."

He shrugged. "Well I read this one first. It's good, and I want to do it."

They exchanged a speaking glance, for once in perfect agreement. Vince supposed anybody else would have been insulted, but he tried to be honest with himself--mostly, so he just smiled, waving the script at them.

Ari rolled his eyes, even as he slapped E's hand away and grabbed at it. "Just tell me this isn't going to be another **Medellin** level obsession."

"That turned out fine, Ari." **Medellin** , thanks to judicious editing and Herculean promotion by Harvey, had gone from a Cannes joke to a potential Oscar contender, and everyone involved was hot, hot, hot again.

"Yeah, with the luck of the fucking Irish. E must have traded his entire pot of gold in for this one."

Vince laughed as E shot Ari the finger almost absently.

"Oh, please tell me you are fucking kidding!"

Vince sat down, draping a leg over the arm of the sofa. "Nope. That's my next project."

E leaned around Ari, reading the title page. “What’s **Rage**?"

"It's another superhero movie."

"It's a gay superhero. A leather wearing, Pride going, ass-fucking in the streets, gay superhero."

"Excuse me?" Eric was clearly lost.

Vince just smiled, leaning his head back against the cushions. "Come on Ari, it's a lot more than that."

"There's a reason this movie didn't get made Vince."

"This is post **Brokeback**."

"Yeah? Let me tell you something about **Brokeback** \--how many times do you think those fucking kids had to sing a song about how straight they were? And that's with Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams hooking up, and with fucking Oscar caliber work, so unless you plan on falling madly in love with one of the chicks playing the dyke friends, and walking away with a golden boy, don't even think that you can do this Vince and not fuck your career."

E looked between the two of them, confusion still on his face. "Is it a good script?"

Ari glanced at him in irritation before turning back to Vince, eyes pleading. "I don't care if it's the best fucking thing written since Moses came down from the mountain! Vince, I'm begging you not to do this."

E ignored Ari, focused on Vince. Vince could see the gears turning; see him trying to find the hook.

"What studio? Who's attached to it?"

He was practically begging Vince to give him something to fight with, and Vince wished he could, but the thing he has, that's the thing that would make E run the other way as fast as possible, at least right now. He shrugged. "It's in turnaround."

"So, wait, it doesn't even have a studio? Just you and Brett."

"Er..."

"No, seriously Vince, did my wife pay you to give me a heart attack so she can take the insurance money and run off with the pool boy? Because clearly you are trying to kill me."

"Ari." He slipped a little bit of whine in his voice. Just the amount that usually made Ari back down and change tactics.

Ari sat down behind his desk, lowering his head to bang it softly against the surface. "Vince. You want to make a gay superhero movie based on an obscure comic book character that has no director, no studio, and no other fucking names attached to it, and that has already been tossed in the dumpster once. I swear you had a lobotomy at some point when I wasn't looking."

"Whoa! Back the fuck off Ari. If Vince wants to do this, we should at least take a look at it."

Vince stifled a grin. That was his boy, loyal to the end. E might give him shit, but woe to anyone else that did.

"E, do your fucking job and be his manager for once and not his friend. I promise you, this will make the cluster fuck that was Medellin seem like a stroll on the beach." He held up a hand. "And don't bother threatening to fire me. After this is over, I might take it as a promise."

He waited, but stronger people—namely his Ma—had caved under Vince’s stubbornness. Ari finally sighed, running a hand over his face. “Can I at least get you to actually work while we’re getting this thing going?”

Vince smiled and shrugged. Now that he’d won, he could throw Ari a bone. “Sure. We liked the horror pic, and the Mamet thing, right E?”

Eric glanced over at him again, and waved a hand at Ari. “Yeah, they were both good. Just make us a deal.”

Vince was waiting for it. He was surprised that E lasted all the way to the elevator.

“What the hell are you doing, Vince?"

He widened his eyes innocently. "I thought you were behind me on this E."

"What, you think I'm gonna tell Ari I think you've lost your mind? Somehow, the fucker would make this all my fault." Eric shook his head. "I should tell him, just to watch him have an aneurysm when he tries to decide whether to back you to fuck me over, or side with me, and piss you off." The thought brought a fleeting smile to his face.

Usually E and Ari's rivalry just tickled Vince, but occasionally, like now, he was willing to put it to good use to get what he wanted.

#####

_The reviews for **Medellin** started to come in, and they were good. Really good, and Vince let out a breath that he hadn’t let anyone know he was holding. More than anything else, Medellin was their movie, his and E's and he needed something to go right with it more than he could say. It was easy for him to pretend like he had been confident all along when they went out to celebrate. Dinner and drinks and then a club and drinks and when they stumbled back home after dropping Ari and Johnny off, they were all pretty wasted._

_Vince figured that was as good an excuse as any for why he leaned down and kissed E. Why he lost it when he’d managed to keep it together for twenty years. They left Turtle curled up on the sofa and headed up to their rooms. Leaning against one another, a little slaphappy and when they paused outside E’s room, he looked up at Vince, mouth parted, eyes wide and so blue Vince felt like he was drowning in them. And he didn’t pull back this time. He didn’t smile and slap E on the shoulder and head to his room to jerk off, while the sent of E was fresh on his skin. This time, he let himself go. This time Vince was falling and the amazing thing is that E was right there to catch him. E kissed him back, arms wrapped around him, soft moans against his mouth like he’d waited just as long as Vince._

_The night was a blur. Vince doesn’t remember what they said, just the feel of E under him, stubble rough against his chest and back, sweat-slick skin sliding over his, strong hands holding him against the sheets, thrust and burn and pleasure. He woke up to an empty bed, the taste of Eric still in the back of his throat, and for the half an hour it took him to shower and go downstairs, he really believed he was going to have everything he always wanted. Eric was at the breakfast table, smiling and looking at him with clear eyes. Vince doesn’t know how long it took him to realize that E wasn’t going to mention it. Not just, not in front of Turtle and Johnny, not ever. It’s like it never happened. Eric didn’t act awkward around him, didn’t get jealous when the hostess at Dolce slipped him her phone number, didn’t act like he was upset or bothered about anything at all. Either Vince hallucinated the whole fucking thing, or he wasn't the only damn good actor in the house._

_"What would you think if you hooked up with somebody and the next morning they pretended like it never happened?”_

_Turtle grinned. "Thank God!"_

_"Maybe they’re just not in to you bro." Johnny shrugged. “I know the Chase men are pretty irresistible, but every once in a while we meet a woman immune to us. It’s like those people born with no taste buds.”_

_“No, that’s not it.” And seriously, Jesus, he was reduced to asking Johnny and Turtle for advice. He was so fucked._

_“Maybe she’s married Vince and was slipping out for a little on the side.”_

_“Maybe she’s got a fatal disease bro, and just wanted one night of perfect memories, like Charlize Theron in that movie.”_

_Vince tuned them out, as their suggestions got increasingly more outrageous. He wanted to talk about this to the one person he couldn’t and he felt like a fucking romance movie cliché, crying into his coffee about how he was in love with his best friend._

_But still, he had to figure it out on his own. This wasn’t just anybody, it was E. A girl smiled at him, he started picking out rings, and he had sex—gay sex no less, with his best friend and all of a sudden he was the four F guy? No way. And when Vince finally did get it, he was pissed at E. For about half an hour, then he had to figure out what the hell to do about it._

#####

Vince wound up doing the Mamet. Ari said it was edgy enough to remind people of his indie cred, something that just might get him through Rage singed rather than burned. Brett still hadn’t committed to directing, but he did sign on as a producer.

Vince tried to appear like his usual unflappable self, and while Johnny and Turtle were pretty clueless, he caught Eric watching him appraisingly. He still found himself hoping Eric would say something to him. It would just be so much easier for things to roll along the way they were supposed to with E handling things and Vince signing off on them, or not. He wasn’t used to doing the heavy lifting.

When Brett called and told him that the Rage creator wanted to meet him before giving them the right to option the comic. E invited himself along.

“I just want to see what it is that’s got you so enthralled Vince. Cause it’s a decent script, but it’ll never get made as is, and the comic is well…a comic. And we both know you did **Aquaman** because of James Cameron, not because you’re a fan boy.”

Brett offered them drinks. E settled for a bottle of water while he took a scotch, which earned him a sharp look from E. From the expression on his face, Vince had a feeling Brett wasn’t high on his list of favorite people. Vince knew Eric thought Brett had swayed him on the Rage project and this was starting to look like E’s relationship with Billy all over again. If Brett actually did direct, Vince was going to have to do something to calm the hostilities.

“Listen, you’re gonna love Justin. He’s a great guy. Smart, talented, gorgeous. The way it went down the last time really sucked, so I appreciate you meeting him to reassure him.”

Vince wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't the slender blond kid in jeans and a simple tee. He looked like he should still be saving his allowance to buy comics, not creating them.

He gave a bright, warm smile. "I'm Justin. It's nice to meet you Vince." They shook hands, and he gestured to the gorgeous, impeccably dressed guy standing next to him. "This is Brian Kinney. He's my bodyguard." The two of them exchanged looks that made Vince assume it was a private joke, and then Brian tugged sharply on Justin's hair.

"His bullshit detector more like it." He directed sharp eyes at Vince. "So, Justin's had you Hollywood fuckers blow smoke up his ass about Rage before. What kind of guarantee do we get this time that it's going to happen?"

Eric stepped in front of him before he could get anything out, glaring at the two of them, arms crossed. "Vince spent two years and a shit-load of money getting Medellin to the screen. He blew off **Aquaman Two** for it. When he commits to something, he's in all the way. If this movie doesn't get made, it won't be because of Vince."

Brian cocked a brow. “Yeah, well **Aquaman Two** sucked dick, and not in the fun way, so it seems to me it was more like self preservation than devotion to the craft.”

Brett got in the middle of it all, a conciliatory grin aimed in both directions. "Guys, look, just calm down. Justin, Brian, you know how sorry I am about last time. All I can say is that this time we don't have to convince some sixty-year-old fart with his head up his ass and his hand on a girl scouts knee. We're gonna get this movie done."

He took them all to lunch and generally did all he could to foster good will between the two camps. Justin was polite and pleasant, while Brian made funny, cutting remarks about—well, everybody. Vince could see that neither of them were particularly trusting that this was going to happen, and he wanted to tell them it would. He wanted to tell them it might not mean the same thing to him, but it was just as important for other reasons.

It was obvious Justin and Brian were a couple from the casual, affectionate touches to the possessive, warning looks Brian flashed Vince’s way.

“So you lived in New York for a while?”

“Yep. Until he realized it was time to click his ruby red slippers together. Isn’t that right Sunshine?”

Justin rolled his eyes at Brian, but didn’t deny it.

Vince glanced at E on the way out of the restaurant. “So, what do you think?”

Eric shrugged. “Justin seems okay, but that Brian guy is a prick. I still don’t see why you want this so badly, but I think you charmed the fuck out of them, as usual, and it's yours.”

Vince kept waiting for something else from him, but he changed the topic to his newest client, and that was that.

#####

Turtle was doubling with Johnny, who had arranged a date with the twin sisters, guest starring on his show. Which left the two of them alone. E was at the table working, while Vince curled up on the sofa, reading scripts. He was just thinking how 'grown up' they were, when his phone rang. E looked up curiously as he answered.

"Yeah?"

“Hey, Vince, it’s Justin Taylor. I hope you don’t mind, but Brett gave me your number.”

“No problem Justin. What can I do for you?”

E's eyes widened questioningly, and Vince shrugged his confusion.

"Did you have any plans for tonight?”

He looked at the pile of scripts on the table. “Not really.”

“Great. Do you think you could come pick us up? Brian wants to go out."

He heard the sound of flesh slapping flesh and then Brian's voice in the background.

"I'm fucking bored."

“He doesn’t exactly believe I‘m a trustworthy tour guide.”

“You’re at the Marriott, right? We’ll be there in twenty.”

He hung up the phone.

"Brian wants to go out." He grinned. "He's bored."

E shook his head. "That fucking guy. I don't see how Justin puts up with him."

“They seem pretty into each other.” Vince shrugged, opening the closet to grab a jacket.

“I guess. Just, sometimes people don’t make sense together, no matter how much they want it.”

They called a cab so they wouldn’t have to worry about parking. Vince heard E groan under his breath when Brian told the driver to take them to West Hollywood.

He leaned in, his breath tickling Vince’s ear. Vince couldn’t stop the shiver that went through him. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Vince.”

He grinned, leaning in as well. “It’s fine E.” When he pulled back, he saw Justin gazing at him speculatively.

Brian obviously had the attention span of a two year old, because he dragged them from club to club. Justin told them Brian owned a club in Pittsburgh. Babylon.

“Yeah, and the guys are a hell of a lot hotter than this.” He gestured to the dance floor at the third club they’d hit in an hour. “La-la land is sorely disappointing. Where’s the beef?”

Vince grinned and pulled out his phone. “Lloyd?”

#####

Justin grabbed his arm. "Come on. Let's dance. I want to see if you can move better than the real Rage."

"Fuck you." It was said completely without heat, and Justin leaned in, giving Brian a quick kiss, before pulling Vince on to the dance floor.

He'd never danced with a guy, but it was pretty much the same. Flash and dash for the fast songs, bump and grind for the slow ones.

"Your Eric is not happy about all this."

Vince shrugged. "He'll get over it."

"He doesn't know this is all about him does he?"

Vince's eyes widened. Shit! "How did you?"

Justin shrugged. "It's pretty obvious, if you're looking. For what it's worth, if the daggers he's shooting at me right now are anything to go by, I think you're definitely barking up the right tree."

The beat turned blaring, and they moved closer so they could still hear each other.

"I just, I don't know exactly what I'm doing here. I just want him."

Justin eyed him appraisingly. "Enough to turn you whole world upside down, with no promise it's going get turned right-side up again?"

He didn't even have to think about it. "Yeah. "

Justin nodded. "You know him. Use that. Be forceful, be seductive, be bold, be sneaky, do whatever works, but most of all, be persistent. Be the most persistent fucker out there."

Arms came around Justin's back, pulling him out of Vince's personal space and Brian gave him a hard look before leaning down to nuzzle Justin's neck. "Persistent fuck? You tooting your own horn, Sunshine?"

Justin leaned back, grinning and Vince envied them for a moment. He wasn't sure if he liked Brian, and he knew that Brian didn't give a flying fuck if he did or not, except in aid of getting Justin something he wanted--which was actually a point in the guy's favor.

"Well, somebody has to."

"Well if you get your tight ass in gear, we can go find somebody to take care of that." He swatted Justin on that same ass then gazed over at Vince speculatively. "Unless you're game?"

Justin slapped his stomach. "Brian!"

"What? I didn't say he wasn't fuckable."

Which led Vince to wonder what Brian did say about him. "No. Thanks, though."

Brian shrugged and they wandered off, hands linked, bumping hips and obviously checking out the room. He watched them for a moment, before heading back to Eric.

The thing is, Vince didn't just wake up one day and realize he was in love with his best friend. He'd been in love with E since he could remember anything. When he left for Los Angeles, he was in love with E, when he proposed to Mandy, the love he felt for her was layered on top of what he felt for E. That was why he never told E about her the first time. That would have been like saying she was gonna replace E in his heart and he'd known that wasn't true. It didn't matter that him and E were never going to hook up, or that E was gonna settle down someday and he'd be playing Uncle Vince to his kids. The way he felt about E, well, it was what it was. But that one night changed everything and Vince wasn't gonna just pretend like it hadn't, and he wasn't going to let E either.

E hung up his phone when Vince came back to the table, his eyes sharp as he glanced in the direction Brian and Justin had gone. "What's going on with you?"

Vince sat down, leaning back and draping and arm across the back of the booth. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and Justin practically fucking on the dance floor."

He shrugged. "We were just dancing. If you notice, everybody else is doing the same thing."

"Everybody else is not a big fucking straight movie star." He sighed. "Ari is on the way over."

"What?"

"Damage control. If we're going to sell tonight as research for your next movie, then having your Agent here is gonna add to the believability of the story."

Ari showed up about fifteen minutes later, and he and Eric huddled together, whispering and given Vince looks that made him nervous. They put the kibosh on any more dancing, which Justin shrugged off, but had Brian glaring.

E reminded him of an early afternoon appearance on a local talk show to promote the Mamet movie, and after a couple more drinks, talked him in to heading home. He gave in easily. Justin had said use what he knew, and he knew when he'd pushed E enough for the moment.

#####

Ari called him the next day. ”So, it looks like you’re good.”

“What happened?”

“Brett took Taylor and Kinney to see Scott. I don’t know what the two of them did to him, and I pray I never do, but he signed on.”

He swallowed hard. “That is good.”

“That’s fucking great! He’s still pissed at you about Queen’s Boulevard, but he’s willing to throw some muscle behind this. There’s a lot of gay money in Hollywood Vince, and you just tapped the vein.”

E wasn't exactly tossing up confetti when he told him. "Damn it Vince! I didn't..."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just don't think you should do this movie. I think Ari is right. It's a bad career move."

"The fame and fortune mean that much to you all of a sudden?"

E crossed his arms, posture defensive. "You mean that much to me, you asshole! Everybody loves you Vince. You're used to that. If you do this, it's not going to be the same."

Vince shrugged. "Maybe it's worth it."

He shook his head, and the look in his eyes broke Vince's heart a little. "Maybe you just think it is."

#####

Vince looked at the storyboards Justin had brought over. "These are terrific."

Justin shrugged. "You probably can't use them, but I wanted you to see where we were originally heading with the character." He glanced over at Vince. "Brian still thinks it's crazy to let you have Rage."

“He’s still not convinced I'm going to do it?”

Justin shook his head. “Brian bases half his judgment of people on how they party. He thinks just like last night, Eric and Ari are gonna talk you down from the ledge.”

“But not you?”

“No. I think Eric means enough to you that you will do it. Brian doesn’t believe in sacrifice, or love, or happily ever after--mostly.”

"But, the two of you are…” He trailed off. It wasn’t like he hadn't had fuck buddies himself, but the two of them seemed like more than that.

Justin shook his head. "I can't explain me and Brian to people. Half the time, we can't explain us to us. But oh God! Please don't use us as any kind of relationship model. " He reached over and laid a hand on Vince's leg. "You just have to do what works for you and the person you're with."

Vince nodded and leaned back. "So the bottom line is, we both want this movie made, and if we're not careful, the people that we love are gonna protect us right out of it."

"Exactly."

“So, what do we do?”

“Well, I’m heading back to Pittsburgh, before Brian falls into culture shock.”

Vince found himself actually a little sad about that. If for no other reason than Justin was the only one who really knew what was going on with him. “You’re not staying for the filming?”

Justin shook his head, a slightly bitter smile on his face. “No. Brian was right about that at least. I’ve learned to go home before I see what’s behind the curtain.”

“You’ll be back for the premier though, right?”

“Definitely. And by that time, I expect you and Eric to be disgustingly happy together.” Justin draped his messenger bag over his shoulder and grabbed the door. "Good luck." He reached up and pulled Vince's head down, laying a short, hard kiss on him, before leaving.

So, now Vince had officially kissed two men. Justin was cute, but he definitely preferred Eric.

#####

Vince realized there was never going to be a perfect moment to escalate things, and he had never been the most patient person in the world anyway. Now that things were in motion, he wanted results. He did manage to wait until filming had already started though.

It was easy enough getting everybody to meet him at the house. He had a feeling it was going to be the last easy thing in his life for a while. " You're probably all wondering why you're here." He slid a hand across the back of his neck. " You guys all have a stake in this, and I figured it'd be easier to tell you all at once. "

"What's up Bro?"

Vince took a deep breath. These were some of the most important people in the world to him, and everything was about to change forever. "I'm going to come out, once **Rage** is done."

Ari had been fiddling with his phone, and Turtle and Drama were whispering back and forth. All of a sudden, there was dead silence and everybody's attention was on him. He took in the various reactions--shock and confusion--but he really only had eyes for E. Eric, whose eyes met his intently, who was shaking his head, expression implacable.

Ari broke the silence with a nervous half laugh. "It's not April fools day, but this must be a fucking joke, right? "

Vince shook his head, eyes still on Eric, waiting.

"Then what the fuck are you talking about? You're not gay, Vince."

"No, but my boyfriend is."

"What boyfriend? "

E looked away, finally. "He's kidding, Ari."

"No, I'm not." Vince's voice was gentle.

"Vince."

"E."

Eric crossed his arms. "Don't do this."

"Vin, man. Are you sure? I mean, you like girls. You fuck girls. Plenty of 'em. Hot ones. You're giving that up for dick? That just don't make sense.

"Turtle!" Johnny punched him hard in the arm.

"What! I'm just saying."

Vince shrugged, throwing a grin in Turtle's direction. " It' s okay. I'm in love with a guy, and I can call it what I want, but that's gonna look pretty gay. So, you know."

"Jesus fuck, Vince!" E shook his head and walked out, leaving the room silent again for a moment.

Then Johnny stepped forward and slapped him on the shoulder. "It's okay bro, E will come around. This is just a little shocking. For everyone." His voice was overly jovial, as was the grin he gave Vince, and he never loved his brother more than at that moment.

"Who is it? It can't be that artist boy-Taylor, because you wanted to do Rage before you met him" Ari paused "Is it Brett?” The dazed look still hadn’t left his face, and Vince couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

He sank down on the sofa, still talking. “No, Brett would shove you so far in the closet you’d need a road map to get out. Somebody you met in the club? Fucking backstabbing Lloyd! I knew he was trying to recruit you to his team.”

Shauna walked over and put a hand on his arm. “Vince, honey, is somebody trying to force you into this? Because as long as there's nothing out there, we can convince him to keep his mouth shut. Just tell me there's not pictures, or God forbid, video."

“ There’s no coercion, no blackmail. I’m not gonna show up on Perez Hilton, or You Tube.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Look, the two of you didn't sign on for this, so..." He shrugged, not able to actually say it. He'd understand--he'd try to understand if they bailed.

Ari laid a hand over his heart. "I'm insulted, no I'm hurt. I'm not that kind of agent." He grimaced at the expressions on their faces. "Okay, maybe I am, but I'm not that kind of friend."

They all turned to look at Shauna, who threw up her hands. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're like family Vince--not to mention, what an unbelievable job I am going to do with this. It's going to be my masterpiece. They're gonna talk about me in the same breath with Meredith O'Sullivan and Cindy Guagenti."

Vince wanted to go after E, but they were sticking with him. The least he could do was pretend to care about how this went down.

"So how does he come out?"

Ari shook his head. "He doesn't."

"Ari, I told you..."

"No, listen. The movie comes out, do press, be honest about what they ask, then just go on with life.”

Shauna's eyes lit up. "Understatement, like Jodie Foster?" She nodded.  
"It just might fucking work." She pulled out her blackberry. "This guy you want to leap out of the closet and over a cliff for? He'd better be ready to be on the red carpet with you. "

#####

Vince was relieved to find Eric was pacing up and down the hall when he went looking for him. That he hadn't gone far was a good sign.

"You want to tell me what the hell you're doing?"

"You know what I'm doing. What are you doing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." But his eyes wouldn't meet Vince's.

"The fuck you don't. After we..."

"Fucked?"

Vince rolled his eyes. "Fucked. After, I figured we'd just be together. I mean you don't do one-night stands. And I thought you'd make it easy for me, like you do with everything else. You'd know and we'd just fall into it, but the next day you acted like nothing had ever happened, and you kept acting that way, and the thing is E, I knew it wasn't because you didn't want me, or because it didn't mean anything. It just took me a while to figure out what the reason was. And yeah, at first I thought fuck you, if you think that all this matters more than us, but you know, 20 years, so." He shrugged. "So then, I thought. What would E do? Something, incredibly sappy and romantic and lame. So here I am."

"Fuck you!" But his eyes were soft when he said it. "Alright, I get it, but you don't have to do this Vince, not for me. I don't need it. We can keep things quiet, and still have this."

"You don't get it, E. I'm doing this so we won't have to hide. I don't want to be in the closet. Look, I know how the game is played, right? I find a nice beard to date, or even marry, and if I'm lucky, I get to claim a bromance, all the while asserting my heterosexuality. But when have I ever played the game?" He stared at E. "You really think I would about something this important?"

Eric shook his head. "Aren't you going to even ask me?'

He smirked. "I don't have to. You love me enough to give me up, and I'm a pretty damn good catch E."

"Yeah, you are." Eric grinned and more importantly, reached for Vince, pulling him in and taking his mouth.

 

#####

 

Despite being absolutely sure of what he wanted, Vince couldn't help be a little bit nervous about how people were going to react. The funny thing was, no one really noticed. It wasn't like E had never walked the red carpet with him before, not like they didn't already share a house, and go out everywhere together anyway. Not even Perez called attention to it, and it made Vince wonder just what people thought was going on with him and E to begin with.

Gradually though, as more about the movie leaked out, the rumors started. No one asked him outright, and he followed Ari and Shauna's plan; it went from zero to buzz and back again, though he figured when people actually saw the movie--some scenes which actually made him blush--it was going to lean toward buzz whether he said anything or not, which, was sort of the idea.

Justin and Brian flew out for the premier, along with Justin's partner Michael Novotny and his husband.

“To **Rage**!” They raised their glasses, clinking them. Justin leaned in to Brian with a private smile, and Vince waited for the envy to come, but it didn’t. He looked over at E and they exchanged their own smile.

He leaned closer to Eric. "We've been pretty much following the 'be subtle' coming out' plan right?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah." There was a question in his voice, and Vince smiled.

"That doesn't really seem to be working. What do you say, we try for a little more obvious?" He nodded toward Michael and Ben who were sharing a kiss.

E cocked a brow. "Are you sure? It's still not too late for plausible deniability."

Vince shrugged. "I'm always asking you to roll the dice with me. One of these days, you're gonna say no."

"Maybe. But not today." and E leaned in and kissed him and the flashing lights looked like stars. 


End file.
